Watch: Disney’s Oscar-Nominated Animated Short, Paperman

Disney will once more be returning to the Oscars next year in the Best Animated Short category, having brought to the big screen John Kahr’s brilliant short film, Paperman.

Attached to screenings of Wreck-It Ralph – late last year in the US, this month in the UK – the film is a heart-warming tale of love between a young man and woman in New York. And now the studio have made it available to watch in full, ahead of the Oscars at the end of the month.

“Introducing a groundbreaking technique that seamlessly merges computer-generated and hand-drawn animation techniques, first-time director John Kahrs takes the art of animation in a bold new direction with the Oscar®-nominated short, “Paperman.”

Using a minimalist black-and-white style, the short follows the story of a lonely young man in mid-century New York City, whose destiny takes an unexpected turn after a chance meeting with a beautiful woman on his morning commute. Convinced the girl of his dreams is gone forever, he gets a second chance when he spots her in a skyscraper window across the avenue from his office. With only his heart, imagination and a stack of papers to get her attention, his efforts are no match for what the fates have in store for him.

Created by a small, innovative team working at Walt Disney Animation Studios, “Paperman” pushes the animation medium in an exciting new direction.”

I was fortunate enough to see the short at the London Film Festival last year, and can’t recommend it enough. For everyone who remembers and loves the opening scene of 2009’s Up, this is absolutely essential viewing.

John Kahrs makes his directorial debut, having previously worked on the likes of Monsters, Inc. and The Incredibles. And the story comes from Clio Chiang and Kendelle Hoyer, part of the writing team on Winnie the Pooh.

Paperman will be heading to the Academy Awards batting for Best Animated Feature for Disney. The Oscars will be held on Sunday, 24th February, and I’m rather hoping Paperman will come home with the statue in-hand. We’ll be following the ceremony as it happens on the night, and hope that you’ll join us.

Since graduating, I spend as much time as possible watching films/TV shows, reading books, and listening to music. So getting to write about what I love is nothing short of awesome.
Biggest film-related hope for 2014/ever: Guy Ritchie announcing the RocknRolla sequel is finally moving forward.